Grain-binder



3 SheE Sheet 1. M KANE GRAIN BINDER.

(No Model.)

No. 467,467. Patented Jan. 19, 1892.

(No Model.) 3Sheets-Sheet 2. M. KANE.

GRAIN BINDER.

No. 467,467. Patented Jan. 19, 1892.

a l I %'/71esse6: J777/e71zarx Z219 Ji /or??? 0m L. 9 e h S s t e e h S 3 D NN AH K I Mm G q d 0 M 0 W Illlllllllll Patented Jan. 19, 1892.

Rlllllll llluiii'l Illlllllllllllll $1, 52 d fie s UNITED STATES PATENT. OFFICE.

MAURICE KANE, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO THE YVARDER, BUSH- NELL & GLESSNER COMPANY, OF SPRINGFIELD, OHIO.

GRAIN-BINDER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 467,467, dated. January 19, 1892. Application filed June 2, 1891- Serial No. 394,849. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.- Such parts of the frame of the grain-binder 50 Be it known that I, MAURICE KANE, a oitias are shown in the drawings are designated zen of the United States, residing at Chicago, by the letter A. in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, The upper parts of Figs. 1 and 2 of the haveinventedanewand useful Improvement drawings illustrate a knotting mechanism, in Grain-Binders, of which the following is and these are designated by the letter 13; but 55 a specification. as they are of a common construction and This invention relates to grain-binders, and form no part of the present invention they its object is to simplify and render more need not be further described. efficient this class of machines. A shaft C, suitably journaled in the frame,

The invention consists in the construction has keyed upon it a needle D, which is also of 6c and arrangement hereinafter described and an ordinary and well-known f(1.I1. Packerclaimed. armsE E, likewise of usual shape, are suitably Like letters refer to the same parts in the mounted and actuated. Acompressing-finger several figures of the drawings, in which- F is pivoted to the frame of the machine at a Figure 1 is aside elevation of a portion of point forward of the shaft of the needle. 6 5 a grain-binder with the compressing-finger On the same axis with the compressing-findepressed to permit the bundle to be disger,but independently thereof, is pivoted the charged. Fig.2 is a similar view, exceptthat bar G, the lower end of which is pivoted to a the compressing-finger is here shown in porod H, the other end of the latter being sesition for action. Fig. 3 is a side elevation of cured to a lug 011 the rear face of the comthe gearing for actuating the shafts of the pressingfinger. The rod is made to pass knotter, the packers, and the needle, and the through the lug, and a nut is screwed to the connecting devices between such gearingj outer end of such rod, whereby its position 2 5 Fig. 4 is a rear view of the parts represented may be adjusted. A spiral spring I encircles in Fig. 3. Fig. 5 isa detail view, in front elevathe rod and is placed between the lug on the tion, of the gear on the knotter-shaft and the compressing-finger and a nut and washer sedevices for clutching the same. Figs. (iand 7 cured at an intermediate point on the rod. are detail views, partly in section, of the trip- By this construction the connection between 30 arm and its connection with the needle-arm. the compressing-finger and the bar G is elas- Fig. 8 isa top view of the arrangement of the tic and adjustable. A link K has one end trip-arm and compressing-finger with referpivoted to the bar or an offset thereon. at a once to each other and the adjacent mechanpoint adjacent to the connection of the bar ism. Fig. 9 is an inside View, in side elevawith the compressing-finger, and has its other 5 tion and partly in section, of the gear on the end jointed to the front side of the needleknotter-shaft, the pinion meshing therewith, arm at a point adjacentto the shaft C thereof. and the clutching devices. Fig. 10 is a top In consequence of this connection between view of the same devices, together with the the compressing-finger and the needle-arm, retarding device. Figs. 11 and 12 are detail when the latter rises and begins to press 40 views of the crank for driving the needleagainst the bundle the former is also forced shaft, showing said crank in different posiupward and caused to press against the other tions, and the sliding box for the pitman also side of such bundle, and, on the other hand, in different positions in a slot in the crank. as soon as the needle-bar descends the com- Fig. 13 is a detail sectional view of the slidpressing-finger is drawn backward and down- 5 ing box, the pitman, and the governing arm ward and assumes the position shown in Fig.

or rod. Fig. 14 is a view similar to Fig. 9, 1, so that it will not interfere with the dis- 5 except that the gears are in such position charge of the bundle. The movements of the that the lug e is in engagement with the compressing-finger and the needle-arm are pin 1'. thus caused to be simultaneous by a positive and simple arrangement, and all lockin g and unlocking devices for the former are dispensed with.

The needle-arm is provided with a slotted flange N, located above its axis or shaft, and in the slot thus formed plays the bent end of a link L, the other end of which is pivoted to the lower end of a trip-arm M, which latter is pivoted in the frame in front of the shaft C. The grain to form a bundle is piled in front of this trip-arm, and when a sufficient quantity has been supplied the pressure caused thereby and by the packer arms against the same forces such trip-arm downward from the position shown in Fig. 6, and

the hooked end of the link bearing in the end of the slot in the flange of the needle-arm causes such arm and its shaft to turn, and through a crank and pitman connection starts the rotation of the gear-wheel on the knotter driving-shaft, and thereby causes the engagement therewith of a clutch connected with a chain P communicates such motion to a sprocket wheel Q, which latter is loosely mounted upon a short axis projecting from the frame. A pinion R is loosely mounted upon the short shaftj ust referred to, and such pinion meshes with a larger gear S, which latter is keyed to the knotter driving-shaft. A pitman T is pivoted at one end to the gear S and at the other to a sliding box a, which moves in ways formed in the crank-arm b, secured to the needle shaft 0. The needleshaft and the pivotal point for the pitman on the gear S are in different vertical planes, so that when the former receives its initial movement by means of the trip-arm before mentioned the consequent thrust of the pitman will be at an angle to the axis of the wheel, and will therefore rotate such wheel.

A rod 0 has both its ends bent, one of them to enter a bearing in the main frame at a point above and to outside of the shaft 0 and the other to pass through the lower end of the pitman and the sliding box and be secured so as to make such parts serve as a bearing. This bent rod insures the sliding of the box outwardly in the crank-arm as the latter turns in an upward direction, because in that operation the crank-arm approaches the axis of the rod which turns in the frame, and, on the other hand, in the downward rotation of such'arm the sliding box is drawn inwardly by the bent rod. The effect of the box sliding outwardly in the manner stated is to cause the pitman to exert itsforce upon the crank-arm with an increasing leverage,

because such arm is thus virtually lengthened, and consequently the power is increased at the time the needle is compressing the bundle when additional power is most required.

As before mentioned, the sprocket-wheel Q is loosely mounted upon a short shaft and is secured to revolve continuously by its connection with the packer-shaft, and the pinion R is loose upon this same short shaft; but the pinion has pivoted to it a spring-acted dog d, carrying upon its opposite sides lugs e e, which serve, respectively, to unclutch and clutch the pinion to the rotating sprocket, as will now be described. Normally the lug e is out of engagement with pins or rollers v i,

arranged upon the side of the sprocket-wheel Q, and the lug e is in contact with a lugf, arranged upon a side of the gear S; but when a slight rotation is given to the latter by the action of the bundle upon the trip-arm, as heretofore described, then the lug f is withdrawn from contact with the lug e and the dog (1 is turned by its spring until the lug e is in the path of the pins 712', and therefore as the sprocket bearing such pins revolves one of them strikes the lug e and turns the pinion, and the latter turns the gear and drives the knotting mechanism.- As the gear finishes a complete revolution, it brings the lugf again in position under the lug e of the dog and causes the lug e to become disengaged from the pins 11 1} on the sprocket,and therefore the pinion and gear cease rotating.

I am well aware that clutching devices for a similar purpose are well known; butl have changed the arrangement of such devices so as to make them be carried directly by the gears, and havealso simplified their construction. In actual practice I have found the present arrangement. economical and very effective.

Another feature of the present invention will now be described.- On the inside of the gear'S is formed a ledge h, which is provided with a recess k, preferably of concave form. A bolt m has a horizontal bearing in the main frame and is preferably provided with a roller adapted to fit the concave depression or recess 7c in the ledge h. Encircling this bolt is a spiral spring 01, and a nut 0, whereby the force with which the roller presses maybe regulated. The looking or retarding device just described performs several functions. It serves to regulate the size of the bundle by determining the force which must be employed to trip the arm against which the bundle presses, because, as before explained, when the trip-arm is moved through the medium of the needle-shaft and pitman it gives an initial movement to the gear, and the greater the retardation of the movement of anism also serves to prevent the momentum of the gear from carrying it. beyond a complete revolution, and it hinders any back- Ward movement of such gear. Furthermore, after the pins or rollers on the sprocket have released the clutching mechanism on the pinion the gear has not been carried quite far enough, and at this time the roller in the plunger of the retarding mechanism bears on the edge of the recess and is caused by its spring-pressure to pass into such recess, and in so doing to turn the gear into its normal position of rest.

It is obvious that persons skilled in the art might vary the details of the invention herein described without departing from the principles thereof, and I do not Wish to be understood as limiting myself to the exact construction shown and described.

What I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a grain-binder, the combination, With a needle, a compressing-finger, and a bar pivoted independently of the compressing-finger, but having an elastic connection therewith, of a link pivoted to the bar and to the needle, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

2. In a grain-binder, the combination, with a trip-arm and a needle-bar provided with a slotted flange, of a hooked link connecting said arm and flange, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

3. In a grain-binder, the combination, with a trip-arm, a needle-bar provided with a slot ted flange, a hooked link pivoted to the triparm and having its hooked end playingin the slot of the flange, a shaftfor the needle-bar, and,

a connection between said shaft and a gear- Wheel, such gear-wheel being on the knotter driving-shaft, of a constantly-rotating driving-shaft and clutching devices between the same and the gear on the knotter drivingshat't, and mechanism for thrusting said clutching devices in and out of engagement with such gear, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

4. In a grain-binder, the combination, with a gear on the knotter driving-shaft provided with a restraining-lug, another gear adjacent to and meshing therewith and carrying a clutching mechanism normally held out of action by such restraining-lug, and a Wheel positively connected with the main driving-shaft, but normally out of clutch with the last-mentioned gear, of a trip-arm and devices connecting the same With the gear on the knotter driving-shaft, whereby the movement of the trip-arm Will give an initial movement to such gear, which will release the clutching mechanism and connect the main drivingshaft with the knotting mechanism, substantially as and for the purpose set forth,

5. In a grain-binder, the combination of a needle-shaft having a crank upon its outer end and a sliding box mounted therein, of a knotter driving-shaft, a'pitman pivotallyconnected to the latter and to the sliding box, and a controlling-rod pivoted to the frame and to such sliding box, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

6. In a grain-binder, the combination of continuously-rotating main driving mechanism, a knotting driving mechanism normally disconnected therefrom, clutching devices for periodically connecting the knotting driving mechanism and the main driving mechanism, a needle-shaft and connections from the latter through the gear on the knotter drivingshaft to said clutching mechanism, a trip-arm connected to the needle-shaft, and an adj ustable retarding mechanism, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

MAURICE KANE. lVitnesses:

J. L. GERRY, LLEWELLYN O. MERRILL. 

